 |
1 December 2007 |
 |
© Isabelle Merny / MSF |
World Aids Day: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is a largely overlooked disease that if untreated rapidly causes blindness in patients with low immunity caused by HIV/AIDS.
It is a disease that has largely been eradicated in AIDS patients in the US and Europe because of early and effective treatment with anti-retrovirals that protect the immune system and keep the CMV virus at bay.
However it is a different situation in developing countries where patients are often not put on anti-retroviral treatment until an advanced stage. Although the exact scale of the problem in developing countries is not clearly known because of underdiagnosis, evidence from pilot studies in MSF projects in Southeast Asia show that infection is widespread among HIV patients. For instance in northern Thailand for MSF has collected data that points to over one in three HIV patients being infected with CMV. In southern India, 17% of HIV patients were diagnosed with CMV.
A paper published by the Public Library of Science sets out the possible scale of the problem and calls for more systematic diagnosis as well as better access to affordable and effective treatment for all patients as an essential part of HIV primary care.
 PLoS paper Cytomegalovirus Retinitis: The Neglected Disease of the AIDS Pandemic
» INTERVIEW - Dr David Wilson -Treatment to Prevent Blindness at an “Impossible Price”
» Read about other featured
projects
|
